City opts to keep fishing area

Other lots still being considered

Jun. 18, 2013

The Dell Rapids City Council pulled back its plans to sell some city properties currently used for public recreation.

In May, the city council’s finance committee began reviewing the possibility of selling as many as five city-owned lots in and around Dell Rapids in an effort to raise the necessary revenue to begin a development park in the southeast part of town.

The idea stemmed from a proposal by the Dell Rapids Economic Development Corporation, but after further discussions with some of its members, Councilor Mike Geraets, the finance committee chair, said two of the properties – the riverfront property east of the lift station along Highway 115 and the riverfront property between Mill and Mechanic avenues – had been stricken from the list.

“It was just decided that it was of more benefit to leave it for public access than it would be to try to convert it to private access,” Geraets said. “There wouldn’t be enough monetary benefit to warrant the sacrifice.”

The two lots have been frequented by fisherman and outdoor enthusiasts since the City acquired the properties in the 1960s, said Allen Brown, a DREDC member who suggested the City keep the land.

“I think the City should own as much property as it can,” Brown said.

The riverfront property near the dam was sold to the City of Dell Rapids in 1965 for $800, a bargain price, recalled Brown. The lot east of the lift station was purchased by the City four years later for $100 from the same family.